Method and apparatus for treating cinematographic films



March 2 1926.

P. LOHN METHOD 'AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING QINEMATOGR'APHIC FILMS Filed August 31 INVENTOR.

' Application filed August allwlw my. ool warn:

I Be -it known that I, l rrrna Y ofithelln'ited} States, and a, resident oft- Fort Loirin gaieitizen 1 Lee,,in the county offBergeniand State" of 5 "NeWIJersey, haveinvented;certain new and i 1 useful,

paratus e' gforr, Treating'gf Cinematographic' r 3; :Films,;of

:. 1 5. This invention irelates to improvements 1n fvfvhich the following-is a specificamethods;a ndlapparatus for. the treatment of l cinematographic 1 films; I and particular r'ence to' theremoval "oath-e gelatinous siBy peerl ss iithodsi j Q i been-$ 6"P a tic lt r mo e th sensitize-d -erii' lllsion from old films-no longer used for freprodu'ction, in order .to {reclaim the silver contents eithe emulsion and to restorethe c'ellulousi base to its original state before the pp q on; f 3 th m llsion. thereto.- This ,base which consists among other-ingredidivided into its constituent parts or dissolved for the; purpose Of making s paints or -Oiheno j ifithodl b re im the lsicna est e 0 burn 3L jthereaffter'lrefine the ashes I QethodZ-meetsgvvith the objeo tion that 'thenbase of'gthe film i and other .in-

' lqgredients or the emulsion aref vdestroyed, Z f 5 Another. method; consists dipping, by hand, 'thegnnrolled ,film'tin several baths of a removingagent, such' as c'austic soda until the emulsion: has been; remoyed, after which theisame-isrefined'toreclaim the silver con- ;;ten t." Thei-jhase, after I the] emulsion is a removed, is dried usn-ally foraperiodof about gtwentyffour .hours and thereafter baled. Thisgdippinggand drying: process consumes 151101113}fglgeat' gitmOunhiqf time fLS=t0 render the, same ery. expensive; and. furthermore a s coll dem e; z rei s iS-Qwwnt r ns h b llin ol 'theg e ln s i se t fi 1);? taii nteres ed, by thearr ntiinv n i s to overcome theidiflicultiesgof; known meth- 5 ends an teg e tly ic l te the e v l f vthe .sensitized'emulsion from the film pre- 7 paratory to reclaimin gthe silver content-by z ;utilizing- }the forcecreated by flowing liquid; ;to' remove; the emulsion from the film which ,-.is being jp'assed through said nqur ansoppositedirection totheflow f-EEB' F HE EQ E a E W'JE I1 Improvement s' in; Methods C and ,Ap

finirnon enn ArrAnATUs iron enema cmnMA'roenAPHIo FILMS;

31 i925, sri i N0. eagerthe base of the film thoroughly dried.

{variety ofmechanicah expressions, one of .svhioln for purposes of illustration, is shown n the vaccompanying drawing,- but' it, 'is' to she expresslyiunderstood that said drawingis used solely for-the purpose of'rfacilitating f a-feed magazineto aftakesup.device and in the interim, the emulslon s v removed and;

-. the description of the invention asoa Whole "th p '1 In the draWing "tion; and I a :F1gure 2-1s an, enlarged sectionon the *lme 2-2; of Fignre 1. s i i and not to define: the limits thereof, refer--2 enee being had'to the appended claimsjifor -j 131gurel s aside elevationgpartlyin sect on; show ng more or less dlagrammatieallys the apparatus for carry ng out theinven 7 In its preferred form, the appairatns con-2 v agent contain'ing about fiveper cent caustic en-ts; efigun'cottomcamphor andQcollodium soda whichiisl heated to' a temperature of rabouttl F., aslbya hea'ting coil & Within sists of. atank 3 for containing azremoving atureof about-200 will remove the emul H sion from thei film, but not quite ett'ectives ly as the caustic soda solution. Anin'clined sluieeway -5,abo ut thirty feet in length is J supporte'd above the tank .vvith ,its lower end overhangingthe-isame sorthatthe solution, which is pumped from'the tank to the upperend of the sluiceway will re-enter said itankfaiterlhaving the film fi passed the're-- V through. In orderith'ata pluralityfof films may be washed simultaneously, thegsluice" way is divided into the desired numberof channels by longitudinal partitions 7 the distance between which isslightly greater than thewidth of the films topermit of a limited lateral movement thereof whilebeing passed along said channels. a q v J Inorderto provid for a continuouscirgeulation; of the solution Yfromthe tank; fllthrough' the jsluiceway, the former has conq-nectedithereto a centrifugal pump of any desired l construction and conventionally shoWnatS which operates to pump'the solix-f tion through a feed pipe9 to thelheader l0;

This header is arranged transversely above the upper end of the sluieevvay and has de- ?pendingltherefrom a plurality of; valved Ill) branches 11 equalin numberto the number of channels in the sluieeway,- each branch I 5 Each 11m 6 to beltreated is prefera Y d a ime the'lewefendeithe sluieeWay with "the's iiti e (if.the fillnnontainingthe coating'oi. I

I 5 ha vegadhered ,to' the base of the film after 5. An 'apperatus'foizthe'I e H i v the tank16." 1 1 {around an idler l8 ancl from thenee through? "efably at-least'ofLe-length equa ed v151m 6f 7 5 2? forming afipartfef a 'take up'device bif inyfknewnycbnstruc 1 n." A" 1 1 e iich as use in cin ematograiphie appeal atu s s preferabl as these/devicesv are proyicl ,ith n; auft9nietiQi=$ Which W Pr Vent ignition of the portion of the film-upon wound upon a'reel l2iwhich meybeplajcedftheQreel shonl h film in a feed magazinesuc as employed in 0911 n ection with cinematbgrai phic ap'pa atu's an ed ai'ounden idler 13 above the minke being arra ged; directly above. tsv 'ztssocit channel and its; valve being utilized to 'c trol the amount Of "the washing solution-10 V ing i n to' and doWnwafdly'along the-cha n e I1S1t1Zed iilsio n nppermost so ast reth'e f l effectfef -{the removing ent ,clownwa'rdly as the"filin is'mbvetl l i 'at a speed bf -zthoutv I g g It has been feunde "1ig5e m g11s forf fe e' l l' fpiiaice that'zthis operation nga remqv 'entto saidsluicewayyand In ving th e filni'upwai dly through ail means formovi 0' removing 'eg' isi enyeffectiVe-in'th films inc g af slnicewey;meens for ng a 1'emov ng=agent; esald line 7 ne' ans fer rno'vin film -alon i Afterpassing frbinfthe up'per en H sluicewey each ilength of film may, 9 aitound idle'rs' :14: and l'fi the latter of V is positioned :wit v k 1 6fthro'ng'h whieh W'at'er is being'cb t1 ci ulateclto' washf the) film before. the sam ers' the" drying Stzige'. 'J-fAny emulsion 1 uch in'ay 'hai efadhered :w the film-Paft'e a ssing front the "cewayjwill befreinevedjmithis bet em ulsio'n fro] films'incllidi fga slni c'ew a I v inga l emovingfagent jsluigejmym i'neanseperablgto' ino filmalong said sluieway .andthfbughsaid agent and":: remove moisture froinjthesaid film aif has passedthrmigh'the agenti h film'lS' OW "passed'threngh e pres oll'ers 1-7 whichare p'owerdi'iven from f'suitable sqiirce (net shown)','tli'e' opera tion bf, said rollers being used to drewthe film fi'em ,the re" 12,'ma intain' the seine in a tafut 'condit and I'emqvetherefr'om riiost' of the solution ior watei which may ,Hifipasses, from 'sensitized emulsibn fro thefsluicwayl fandl through the", 'sluiceWay" 5. "I Adjaentbi eend of the v tube the same has Connected thereto piunp I 'i "20i for,iiiijeeting blast "(if hot air int the "itiiihe andagtinstthe'portion ofthe 'filnh pass} g a *ingtherethrdughh 'Tliisfhot ei1t1act t0th r+ "6'.An app a atus.forthe removal a; jeughly dry theffilm 30' that uponiit 'exit sensitized emulsion ffomfcineinatographic v iron; the;tuhe an'd iarennd the -idler-:21lit filins'ineluding asl iiceway, nieans for feedmay iimmediat'elyfjbe rewo ind npone' reel: .ing a remO ing agent-t :said sliiicewsiy means! operabl'e to' lnove e a film along sai fro sluicevvay and through said removing agent and toremovemoisture from the said film 3 after haspassed through the agent," a 1 Washing tank interposed between said sluiceivay-andthe last named means, and a drying.

chamber through which the film is passed Matter having theflmoisture removed therei from bysaid last named'means. I

q; 7. Anifapparatus Q for 'jthe. removal of the sensitized. emulsion from oinematographlc films.includingfa'tank for containing a res 'movin a ent-a' slui'cewav havin one end hi 7 b above sai dtan'k, means for pumping the removing agent, from-said tank to the other end of'sald slulcevvay, and means for mov-.

' ingjafilnralong said sluiceway in anopposite "direction to thatof the flow of said i 1' agent therein,

'8, Anyapparatus Lfor the removal of the. sensitized emulsion from cinematographic n films including af t'ank --for containing a remo.ving"agent,'a slu'icevvay having one end i above said tank, 'rneans ior pumping the re- -moving agent fro'ni said tank to' the other end of saidsluiceway', and pressure rollers adjacent said other end :of the sluiceway I and operable to move a film along the sluice- 7 Way and through saidremovingagent and r to remove molsture therefrom after passing through said agent.

9.- An apparatus for removal oi the sensitized emulsion from oinematographic;

films including atank forgconta-ining a removingagent, a sluiceway. having one end above said tank, means forpumping the rewhich the film is passed after the'removal of the moisture therefrom, and a'take-up-Vreel for receiving the film afterbeing: dried in said chamber r I PETER LOHN. I 

